Wishes
by lewdness
Summary: The universe doesn't just let you get away with upsetting its grand design. It requires payment. GokuderaYamamotoTsuna, set 9YL.


Title: Wishes  
Rating: Hard R  
Summary: The universe doesn't just let you get away with upsetting its grand design. It requires payment.  
Pairing: Gokudera/Yamamoto/Tsuna in any order  
Notes: For Pixystik on LJ. Also this is unbeta'd, and it's based on a picture that I'll link to in my profile, so it doesn't spoil it. If you spot errors, be sure to tell me? C: Set 9YL.  
WC: 4102

0-0

"Things don't work that way, you know," Mukuro says, voice low and easy, like he's just talking about the weather. He's sprawled out on a couch, tie loosened, just so very artfully draped on the furniture, while Gokudera and Tsuna blink at him. Yamamoto laughs a little bit, shaking his head. "They don't. You three are naive to think it so."

Tsuna tilts his head to the side, looking up from the papers he's been skimming. "What do you mean, Mukuro?" he questions, and resists the urge to shiver a little bit when Mukuro's eyes flick to him, his whole face unreadable. Part of him agrees with Gokudera, every time the other man demands to know why they let the fucking psycho out; it's a tiny part, and he hates even thinking it, but Mukuro always manages to sound vaguely threatening and ominous, no matter what is said. "...Mukuro?"

"Things don't work the way you all think," he says again, lazy and a little annoyed, looking at the three of them fully. "You changed the future, but payment will still be required. The universe isn't so easily set off its balance, and it will seek to reset itself, in a way. In that time, it took what some valued most. In this? Who is to say it won't take something you value, Tsunayoshi?"

"Oi," Gokudera snarls, leaning forward and gritting his teeth when Tsuna just wraps an arm around his waist, holding him gently. "Don't you dare threaten the Tenth like that!"

Mukuro practically oozes "not impressed, closing his eyes and ignoring him. "It's something to keep in mind."

-0-

Tsuna does. There's a calendar on his wall, with a day circled in black, and two weeks later, another day is circled in green, and labeled happily "GOKUDERA'S BIRTHDAY." There's still six months and fourteen days, but Tsuna feels uneasy every time he looks at that calendar.

-0-

"What did you mean by that," Tsuna says quietly, standing by where Mukuro's sleeping, sprawled out on his bed, long hair spread across the pillow, eyes closed. "Mukuro."

"...Tsunayoshi," Mukuro sighs out, as if Tsuna's just asked him the meaning of life, or, like he's just snuck into his bedroom, and demanded to know a stupid answer to a question. "Tsunayoshi, go away." He opens one eye, and looks at the glowing clock by his bed, and then glares at Tsuna. "Go."

"When you tell me what you meant," Tsuna says, and dares to crawl up on his bed, not leaving until Mukuro spills what he knows, no matter what time it is. "It's six months till, Mukuro, _tell me_, please! What were you talking about! How am I supposed to protect them if-"

Exhaling, and rolling onto his side, Mukuro just drags the covers around himself, trying to ignore him. "It isn't like you can change what the universe demands," he murmurs, yawning a little bit. "Not even a Vongola can."

Tsuna wilts a little, swallowing hard and then straightening, voice low and as commanding as he can make it. "You promised, that when I got you out, I got a favor. I'm calling on it now. You _know_ something, and I won't let you just ignore me." He forces himself not to shrink back when Mukuro opens his eyes again, face unreadable in the dimness of the room.

"You could have tried to order me, it's your right as the Vongola Tenth," Mukuro says quietly, watching that idea process; Tsuna just shakes his head. "Ah, but of course, the Tenth doesn't _order_ anyone. It's your weakness, Tsunayoshi. Not a strength. A leader needs to lead, or all the parts go to pieces."

Quiet for a long moment, Tsuna wilts a little bit, plucking at the covers as he tries to think what to say. "Mukuro," he starts, soft and unsteady and uncertain, meeting the other's eyes as squarely as he can. "I...please. That's....that's all I ask. I'll do anything to take care of them-- of you all, but I can't if I don't know what's going on. If you know something..."

Mukuro laughs, soft and low and mocking, and shakes his head, waving Tsuna away. "It means that the universe lost one life, when we all went to the future. Your life. It means that it will want one back. Who it picks, you don't know, but there has to be some kind of equivalence."

Tsuna just listens, eyes wide, face paling, knuckles white with how tight he grips the man's bed. "...But th--that's-- that's not fair, we won, we- they- I won't _let it_--!"

More laughter, and Mukuro closes his eyes again. "Goodnight, Tsunayoshi," he murmurs, and listens to Tsuna whisper it back, and half-stagger out of the room, thinking so hard he can practically hear it. He doesn't care, not really; Tsuna and Chrome are safe, and that's all he cares about. Tsuna, because he owes the brat, and Chrome, because he's selfish and he enjoys it.

-0-

Tsuna takes up boxing in March, and has to deal with a very ecstatic and surprised Ryohei.

"I knew that you'd see the light," Ryohei exclaims, and punches the air with a bright grin on his face, while Tsuna just smiles at him, then looks at his gloves and tries to figure out what made him think this was a good idea. The years have given him a bit more muscle, a few more inches in height, and the skill to fight decently in hand-to-hand, but boxing? No, not boxing.

Watching Ryohei warm up, Tsuna absently wonders how pissed Gokudera will be when he finds out he died in a freak boxing accident, and wishes the floor would swallow him up when Ryohei punches the punching bag straight off of the chain holding it.

"...Oh," Tsuna says quietly, eyes wide, gloves fixed finally, watching Ryohei do another fist-pump and trot after it, grinning widely. "...Uh, R....Ryohei, I don't think..."

"Let's go, Sawada!" Ryohei exclaims, and comes back over, lugging the punching bag with one hand like it's made of fluff and air. "Come on, I'll teach you how to box, to the extreme!"

"...I don't doubt that," Tsuna says quietly, offering a small smile, and lets Ryohei teach him.

To his surprise, at the end, he landed one hit at least, and he's only mildly sore. Ryohei seemed to know just how much pressure to put behind a punch; enough to knock him on his ass, but not too much, because in the end he could still get back up, and listen to what he did wrong, correcting it where he could. Ryohei invites him again in a few days when he's feeling better, and Tsuna, without hesitation, agrees, because it was actually _fun._

-0-

Kyoko and Haru ask him to cook with them, sometime, and then Kyoko hurriedly adds that it's okay, that they know he's busy, and--

"I'd love to," Tsuna says, watching surprise show up on both of their faces. He's been so busy lately, constantly having a meeting or a flight, or something else that keeps them from being together as much as when they were kids. "Really," he adds, and laughs as they drag him off to the kitchen.

They're making some kind of stir-fry, which seems easy enough; Gokudera makes it fairly often when it's not Yamamoto's night to cook; the girls don't listen when he protests that no, it's really not a good idea for him to cook- that's why _they_ do.

He manages to chop vegetables, and when they add those to the bowl of ingredients, he still has all ten of his fingers, and Kyoko is beaming at him, laughing happily as she squeezes his hand like he's made her the happiest person on the planet.

"So just put the veggies in, right?" Tsuna asks, glancing at the stove and the oil in the wok, waiting for someone to answer. Kyoko slides over, watching over his shoulder and nods, a bowl of sliced steak in her hands as she waits.

Stirfry is fairly easy to make. Sliced vegetables, some meat, some sauce, and wait a while, and it's done.

Somehow, Tsuna catches the kitchen on fire, and by the time they manage to put it out, the whole apartment complex is outside, the alarms screaming loudly, while Tsuna, Haru and Kyoko hide from the group of angry apartment-dwellers, gasping for air while they laugh, sitting on a bench.

Tsuna, contrite and still flushed from laughing, offers to buy them burgers, and that is that.

-0-

Lambo and I-pin are thirteen, he realizes, feeling a little dizzy at that. Gods, they're just--no, no, _already_ thirteen years old, and growing up so fast.

"...You're distracted," Lambo says, and pokes Tsuna's forehead with his pencil, far too pleased to be taking a break from math. Part of him has considered using his Ten-Year-Bazooka to send the book to his older self, with a note attached that says "DO IT!", but he has yet to.

Tsuna just looks at them a moment, and feels sick; they can't die. They're young, so damn young, it wouldn't be fair. He doesn't know what he'll do if something happens to them, trying not to think about it, because people that young have no right to die, not when they've got their whole lives ahead of them.

"Tsuna?" I-pin questions, head tilting to the side a little bit, confused when he stands up suddenly.

"Who wants candy?" Tsuna says, knowing instantly that they'll agree.

They eat candy until all three of them are sick, flopped on the ground of the living room, watching the fan go around and around. Later, Tsuna helps them with their homework, and then goes home, giving his left over candy to Gokudera and Yamamoto, smiling a little bit.

-0-

Hibari gives him a Look, when Tsuna offers to help patrol anywhere that Hibari needs, stifling his laughter when Hibird flutters over to rest on Hibari's head, whistling quietly and singing.

"I'll just. Go." Tsuna says, and the glare on Hibari's face quite clearly says that's a spectacular idea.

Instead, he sends Hibari a pair of new Tonfas, made of the strongest metal that he can find, polished and black and gorgeous, and is pleased to find that the next time Hibari goes out on a mission, he uses them. Hibari doesn't say thank you, and Tsuna doesn't expect it, just hopes that those will help protect him.

-0-

Tsuna sets up a dinner reservation with ease; the restaurant is one of the most expensive and most popular in the area, and attaching the name Vongola to the end of his request quickly prompts the reservation that he wanted, and the exact time, yes sir, thank you sir.

His father, just gives him a wry smile when Tsuna tells him, and his mother draws him into a tight hug, kissing his forehead and gushing about what a sweet, darling son he is. She thankfully doesn't ask how he managed to score a reservation there on such short notice, just quietly suggests he help her pick out an outfit for the night, Tsuna just grins, nodding and together they go upstairs, and he sits on her bed, letting her act like Kyoko and Haru on a first date all happy giggles and trying on every outfit more times than needed.

He puts up with it, with a smile on his face, because it's not 'putting up with' at all. He loves his mother, and knows without a doubt in his heart that she deserves this, and that he should have done it sooner. They settle on a soft gold number, one that she was sure she wouldn't fit into, but Tsuna suggests she try anyway.

His mother had never looked old to him, and in that moment, all he can think about is how she looks so very beautiful, young and eternal and all he can do is hug her, and tell her she looks wonderful.

Iemitsu even dresses up, and shaves, a wonder upon wonders, and Tsuna just smiles as he watches his mother coo and flush with praise when Iemitsu kisses her hand.

This is what they were like when they were younger, he realizes, watching his mother flush and shift on her feet, like she's a teenager again, going out on her first date. It's cute, he thinks, and just waves when they head out the door, Iemitsu opening the car door for her, and then they're gone, and Tsuna just smiles, happy.

-0-

Tsuna sends a card to the Varia. It's simple, short, and has gift certificates to certain stores for all of them. A few days later he gets a call that consists of insanity, and Gokudera hangs up on them halfway through, after wrestling the phone away from Tsuna, a loud "VOIIIIIII WE DON'T NEED YOUR CHARITY" ringing in his ears still.

A simple phone call proves that all the cards were used, and Tsuna smiles just a little.

-0-

Reborn just smiles when Tsuna knocks on the door to his office, sliding in and looking at the older hit man. "I figured you would come here sooner or later," he says quietly, putting down his pen and resting his chin on top of his hands, waiting for Tsuna to say something.

"....Ah, you know what I'm doing," Tsuna laughs a little and then moves forward, sitting in the chair across from Reborn, shrugging a little. "Right?"

Reborn just nods, and takes his hat off, stroking Leon's head lightly. "Do you truly believe Rokudo Mukuro?" he questions, eyes flicking to Leon, who rolls onto his back for belly-rubs.

"...I do," Tsuna says quietly, and smiles just a little when Leon waddles over to him and gets soft rubbing in return. There's silence for a few more minutes, and then Reborn leans back in his chair, curiously watching him. "I couldn't think what to do for you," Tsuna finally admits, lips curving in a vague smile as Reborn half-laughs, looking at him with dark eyes.

"Survive, Tsuna," Reborn says simply, and is pleased when Tsuna nods instantly, without a second thought. "That's all I want."

"I promise."

-0-

"...Boss," Chrome greets, a small smile on her face as she stands up and comes to meet him, her hands behind her back, clasped together. "Mukuro-sama said you would visit, soon."

Tsuna gives her a small smile, never really sure how to deal with her, or if it's Mukuro at other times. He's not scared of them, not anymore; he knows Chrome will follow him just like she'll follow Mukuro, with blind loyalty and the confidence that they have the power to make everything okay. It scares him, just a little; no matter how much Gokudera assures him, part of him still thinks that they have no reason to put that much faith into his abilities, because it's scary. Everyone makes mistakes.

For lack of anything else, he presents Mukuro's trident. The Vongola had confiscated it prior to releasing Mukuro from his prison, none of them, save Tsuna, truly trusting him enough to have it. Chrome's face lit up, her eye widening, taking the trident with trembling hands, just staring at it. "You...."

"I trust you," Tsuna says, and knows that Mukuro hears it and is there, judging by the way Chrome's eye goes unfocused a moment, and then her smile turns a little too amused around the edges.

"We thank you," Chrome says, and Tsuna just nods, leaving.

-0-

"You've been acting strange lately," Gokudera murmurs, somewhere around Yamamoto's stomach, an arm draped over Tsuna's side, one leg tangled somewhere in the mess of all the other legs.

Yamamoto hums out a little laugh, nibbling along Tsuna's collarbone, licking teasingly just to hear Tsuna's breath hitch, soft and pleased. "Just lately?" he teases, not surprised when Tsuna just laughs quietly and hugs him tight, drawing in a slow breath, and letting it out, lazy and warm and content.

"I want to take you guys out to dinner," Tsuna says suddenly, throwing out the hour he'd spent in front of a mirror, planning how to ask his two best friends, sometimes lovers, out on a proper date. For a moment, he thinks he's done it wrong; Gokudera freezes abruptly, and Yamamoto just breathes a laugh against his skin. "...Uh."

"Like a date?" Yamamoto grins, and he sits up, stroking a hand across Tsuna's side, warm and soft. "Like a real, take-you-out-and-buy-you-dinner date?"

Tsuna flushes and sputters and hides his face in the covers, while Gokudera just hugs him close, and Yamamoto grins, snuggling them both.

-0-

They go on the date in April, to the same place he sent his parents to. Yamamoto and Gokudera look stunning in their suits; Yamamoto's is pressed perfectly, his hair spiky and eyes bright, a smile on his lips. Gokudera's hair is a wind-tossed mess, wearing more necklaces and rings than most people wear, and he looks fantastic doing it. Tsuna makes a point to hold their hands, the candlelight flickering, casting shadows across their faces, flickering off of Gokudera's jewelry. "I'm happy," Tsuna says suddenly, sipping at the wine that they had bought, shifting in his seat happily when their meals came out, along with fresh, hot bread.

Yamamoto gave him a little smile, nodding and sipping at his water. "You look it," he says warmly, and gives Gokudera a small smile from across the table, pleased when Gokudera returns it.

They finish dinner in two hours, just staying after to finish the bottle of wine and talk; Tsuna's warm down to his toes, Yamamoto hasn't had more than a cup, and Gokudera is pleasantly buzzing. On their way out to the cab, Tsuna leans up, tugging Gokudera down and kisses him silly, turning to Yamamoto and doing the same, and isn't really surprised when the taxi-ride turns into soft kissing and subtle groping in the back of the taxi, and ends with a disgruntled man becoming significantly less disgruntled at the crumpled wad of money pressed into his hand as they all head up to the base, closing and locking the bedroom door, losing clothes along the way.

Gokudera ends up sandwiched between the two of them, breathing words, slow and soft and desperate against Tsuna's throat, breath hitching every time Yamamoto moves behind him, pressing in and out, slow and solid and _right_. He loves it like this, not that he'll ever, ever admit it; Tsuna always looks so fucking delicious under him, panting and moving near-gracefully, like if he gets enough practice he'll be able to have sex like he fights. Gokudera thinks that's both scary and wonderfully sexy, and then stops thinking because Yamamoto is doing that little hip-movement that makes him melt.

When it's over, the both curl around Tsuna, Gokudera on the right, Yamamoto on the left, something that never changes, and never has any reason to.

Gokudera knows that things never stay this happy.

-0-

Tsuna goes missing in July. Just, one minute he's there, doing grocery shopping and the next, they find nothing but his broken phone.

The Vongola family spreads out instantly, searching for any sign, any whisper in the grapevine, any shady underground dealing, anything that will tell them about what's gone on, and they find nothing. Not one. Fucking. Thing.

The third night turns out to be the hardest; Gokudera's barely slept, doing all he can to find Tsuna, only to finally be half-dragged by Yamamoto into the bedroom, and somewhere along the lines, they start kissing, hard and angry and Gokudera tastes blood. It's okay, he thinks, a short, soft noise escaping when Yamamoto just kisses him harder and grinds their hips together. It's okay, they'll find him, and the bastards that touched him will be choking on their own blood.

-0-

Tsuna wakes up tied to a chair, and gagged, held by some nameless wanna-be hitman family, Rikki, or Ricci or...or _something_. They do dealing with illegal arms, and drugs, like so many other wanna-be rising families, who don't realize that the Vongolas don't allow that in their territory. They think that they're going to become great, ransom the Vongola's Tenth, hold him, and then kill him if need be.

They don't expect Tsuna to break free and fight them all and _win_, and after a week of captivity, Tsuna staggers home through the rain, and feels his stomach drop when Chrome answers the door to the base, paling like she's seen a ghost.

"--A-ah, B-boss, Mukuro-sama just left," Chrome says, and hastily gives instructions and then Tsuna bolts off just as the storm grows, flooding streets and taking out power. He realizes the date halfway there, and swallows a sob, running faster, freezing when he sees the first body. A second and third follow, and he knows they're not alive; but at least they're not--

"Yamamoto!" Tsuna darts forward, and yells through the thunder of the rain and roll of thunder, watching Ryohei and Mukuro turn abruptly from watching Hibari fight three men at once. Yamamoto has someone sagging against him, and Tsuna trips when he realizes who it is from the flash of silver hair, skidding to a stop in front of them. "No. No, no."

Yamamoto looks like he's about to punch Mukuro, blood sliding into one eye, hand tight on Mukuro's shoulder, hard enough to bruise. Ryohei just stares at Tsuna a moment, Gokudera lifts his head, smiling through a bruised lip, one eye swollen shut, the other unfocused. "You knew," Yamamoto snarls, while Ryohei snaps out of it and dials 911 furiously, waiting off to the side, and Tsuna just tries to stop the bleeding, hands pressing all over Gokudera's body, searching for where he's hurt.

"T...tenth is okay," Gokudera slurs, and his legs give out, leaving Yamamoto to wobble and try to steady him, and Tsuna to loop Gokudera's other arm around his shoulder, while Gokudera just smiles and bleeds and dies oh so slowly. "M'glad it's me, for th'Tenth."

Tsuna just shakes his head, struggling to breathe right, while Yamamoto just stares at Gokudera with wide eyes, like he just realized what was going on. "But I don't want it to be you!" he cries out, choked and unsteady and trembling.

Mukuro drifts off toward Hibari, helping him slaughter the last few for lack of anything else to do, while Tsuna undoes Gokudera's shirt (it's his favorite on the man, he thinks absently) and then lets out a strangled noise when he sees the extent of the wounds, and the blood sliding down his body. No one lives long with a hole in their stomach that big, he thinks, and watches realization dawn on Yamamoto's face, too, sick and slow.

"I don't want it to be you," Tsuna pleads feebly, and sinks to the ground with Gokudera, Yamamoto following so they're both cradling him, while Gokudera just breathes and bleeds, and smiles like it's all okay. "Gokudera!"

Gokudera says nothing else, just lets them hold him, and somewhere along the line he stops breathing, stops trembling, stops being in pain, and Tsuna cries until the paramedics come and take him away.

-0-

The bed is too big with one less body.

Using the last of Gokudera's dynamite, they blow it up, and watch it burn, and then go buy a smaller one, one that isn't made for three people.

Tsuna keeps all of Gokudera's clothes in the closet, and they wear them one by one, until they don't smell like Gokudera anymore, then they box them up and put them in storage. Uri prowls the bedroom for a while, and then takes to sleeping with them, on Yamamoto's stomach, or curled up under Tsuna's chin.

Yamamoto wears one of Gokudera's rings a day. Tsuna wears a necklace, or a choker, and doesn't answer questions.

They heal. It takes time, like all things do. Tsuna rules, and Yamamoto enforces, and the universe is happy with its price, and Gokudera greets them years upon year later, on the other side, wearing too much jewelry and a wry smile, and kisses them both senseless like it's supposed to be.

--End--

Please review if you read, don't just add it to favorites. :)


End file.
